The Importance of Having a Healthy and Strong Spine

People with a narrow view of chiropractic think that the only conditions chiropractic care can help treat are those that are directly linked to the spine, such as back pain, neck pain and perhaps headaches. It is difficult for them to believe that chiropractic care is an effective therapy for other disorders that are not obviously and directly spine-related.

On the other hand, patients who visit chiropractors for their headaches, back pain, and neck pain who present with other health conditions that are to them not supposedly chiropractic in nature are surprised to see the symptoms of their other conditions relieved or eliminated. Chiropractors do not claim to cure or treat these conditions. They, however, know that many health conditions are symptoms of nerve interference. They understand the spine and the nerves’ relationship to the body’s internal organs. That is why they pay attention to the spine and the nerves that may relate to the condition of the internal organs.

It will be helpful for us to take a look at an “Autonomic Nervous System Chart” or a Merck Chart, visual representations showing the relationship of each element the spine, the nerve system and the body’s organs. The Merck Chart, in particular, also called Hoffman Chart, is developed based upon many years of actual clinical experience. You will be amazed at how chiropractic care can be beneficial in helping treat practically all disorders of the organs of the human body.

Can an Unhealthy Spine Really Affect the Internal Organs?

This is exactly the question that Dr. Henry Windsor, a Doctor of Medicine wanted an answer to, as he questioned chiropractic then. He wanted to confirm whether there is truth to the chiropractors’ claim that by adjusting the vertebrae, they can help relieve conditions such as ulcers, stomach troubles, constipation, menstrual cramps, kidney disease, thyroid conditions, lung, heart and other diseases. He decided to conduct an experiment where he would dissect human and animal cadavers to check if there was any relationship between diseased internal organs, which were determined during autopsy, and the part of the vertebrae and nerves connected to the organs. With the permission of the University of Pennsylvania, he performed his experiments, consisting of a series of three studies wherein he was able to dissect a total of 75 human cadavers 72 cat cadavers. Of these, he found 221 structures that were diseased, aside from the spine. The results from his studies showed an almost 100% correlation between vertebrae minor curvatures and disease of the organs. Here are some of the results, listing the disease categories and the location of the misalignments observed in the vertebrae:

Lung disease: Total of 26 cases, all showed misalignments in the upper thoracic area of the spine (upper back)

Heart Disease: Total of 20 cases with heart and pericardium conditions, all showed misalignments in the thoracic vertebrae (T1 – T5)

Liver disease: Total of 13 cases, all showed misalignments in the mid-thoracic area of the spine (T5 – T9)

Stomach disease: Total of 9 cases with stomach conditions, all showed misalignments in the mid-thoracic area of the spine (T5 – T9)

Gall bladder: Total of 5 cases with gallstone disease, all showed misalignments in the mid-thoracic area of the spine (T5 – T9)

Spleen: Total of 11 cases with spleen disease, all showed misalignments in the mid-thoracic area of the spine (T5 – T9)

Pancreas: Total of 3 cases with pancreatic disease, all showed misalignments in the mid-thoracic area of the spine (T5 – T9)

Kidney: Total of 17 cases with kidney disease, all showed misalignments in the lower thoracic area of the spine (T10 – T12)

Prostate and bladder: Total of 8 cases with prostate and bladder disease, all showed misalignments in the lumbar vertebrae (L1 – L3)

Uterus: 2 cases with uterine conditions, showed misalignments in the second lumbar

The findings from Dr. Windsor’s studies were published in “The Medical Times” (November 1921, 49, pages 267 – 271). Since then, other researchers have come up with their studies confirming Dr. Windsor’s discovery. Also, many literatures on medicine at present include many experiments upholding chiropractic’s theory and proving its effectiveness. Studies also abound validating the relationship that exist between the spine and nerves and the internal organs.

It is clear how chiropractic treatment can be effective not only in relieving common spinal disorders like back pain and neck pain but a lot of other disorders of the body’s organs and health issues.

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Hi, my name is Bob Davidson and this is my blog dedicated to the all aspects of chiropractic care. I appreciate you taking your time to visit my site.
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